Like many people in every corner of the world, we were pretty gutted when Jon Stewart announced his retirement from The Daily Show yesterday. It really speaks to how beloved and talented someone is when 16 years at the same job just doesn’t seem long enough. We’ll miss so much about Stewart’s hosting—his better-than-the-real-news fact-checking, readiness to interview everyone from Malala Yousafzai to Bill O’Reilly, and relentless criticism of dumb idiots like Glenn Beck. But most importantly, we’ll miss his super-feminist rants, like this one:
Of course, the Show must go on, and while no one could ever replicate Stewart’s mark on television, this presents an awesome opportunity to change the landscape of late night. With the recent addition of the incredible Larry Wilmore, Comedy Central is already taking strides towards making these institutions more representative of the world at large. But we say now is the time to take it up a notch: hire a woman, already! Don’t know where to start, Comedy Central honchos? That’s okay, we have some suggestions for ya. You’re welcome.
- Samantha Bee: Let’s not forget that Stephen Colbert started out as a Daily Show correspondent before heading his own show in 2005. Hiring from within works, y’all. Bee is The Daily Show’s longest-running correspondent, and for good reason. No one brings out the irony in interviewees’ words like Bee does.
- Jessica Williams: Speaking of hiring from within, correspondent Jessica Williams is a more than solid choice. She would easily be the show’s youngest host ever, and she’d bring the same refreshing, whip-smart humor we see in all her correspondence bits.
- Margaret Cho: So much about this lady’s humor is political, and her critiques of racism and sexism are always spot-on. Her recent parody of a North Korean soldier at the Golden Globes may have rubbed some the wrong way, but it just reminded us how much more we want to see of her. She’d turn the world of fake news on its head—in a good way.
- Lizz Winstead: How many people don’t realize TDS was actually started by two women? Let’s get back to basics: Winstead may not be a household name, but to anyone who knows comedy, she’s a goddess. Goodness, this lady is responsible for getting Colbert cast on the show in the first place. Kilburn’s long gone—let’s give this woman her due.
- Amy Poehler: A long shot, but we have to go here. We’re going to have a hole where our hearts were when Parks and Recreation ends; having Poehler back on our screens in the near future would really soften the blow. We’re not saying she owes this to us, but we’re not not saying that.
Know of any other ladies that would make kickass Daily Show hosts? Tell us in the comments!
Image c/o Comedy Central
